Vern’s Nursery – trees, shrubs and more

by John Dowd

Spring is coming, and with it many people are getting ready for their annual home improvement projects. For some this year, after the powerful windstorms that took their toll on landscaping throughout the valley, that is likely where their year’s projects will start.

Vern Eckstein, owner of Vern’s Landscape & Nursery, expects to see a lot of customers starting with their landscaping. His business is all about trees, shrubs and the bread and butter of landscaping flora. To Eckstein, when looking towards projects for the coming year, he suggests people actually peer backwards, and “look at your landscape and how it fared over the year.” 

In particular, he highlighted the significant wind events over the last summer. Thousands of trees were damaged or destroyed, so Eckstein said many people may be looking to fill those spots again. Vern’s Nursery is one of many places to do just that. 

According to Eckstein, there are “a lot of really good nurseries in the valley.” He said they “all kinda work together.” With so many contractors in the valley, even with “competition” from other nurseries, he believes everyone has plenty of business. It also helps that they all try to keep some different products and specialties. “Everybody is coexisting nicely,” said Eckstein. He believes customers really can’t go wrong with any local nursery they choose. 

If they visit Vern’s Nursery, Eckstein comes to the nursery business with nearly half a century of landscaping. He started the nursery business in the spring of 2020, but prior to that, he had a landscaping business he started in 1982 in southern Wisconsin. He came to the Bitterroot Valley in 1993, and eventually saw that there really was a need for nurseries at the time, especially ones that stocked larger ball and burlap trees, so that is where he started.     

The business expanded beyond just trees in 2022, and now they do a lot of different things, including smaller trees, decorative boulders, ornamental grasses, perennial shrubbery and privacy plant material. With his background, Eckstein said customers can be sure his products are “quality stuff.”

The trees are cold hardy, and many are Montana natives. Vern’s Nursery stocks maples, birch, ash, spruce and pine, as well as fruit trees. According to Eckstein, they have a host of “really cool and different evergreens,” as well. He tries to keep plants and trees at different stages of growth to help keep the business stocked with plants at the right time. “We always have plant material getting ready!”

Now, in late March, Vern’s Nursery is around three weeks from being fully stocked for the season, with around 20 semi-truckloads still to be delivered. By the high season, Vern’s will have countless shrubs and over 2,000 trees. 

Eckstein says he tries to meet everybody where they are. “I have to be here for people of every budget,” said Eckstein. He said he also tries to keep the property clean for customers, to make it a friendly and easy experience for visitors to find what they need. 

Eckstein says this is the time people are thinking about projects, and his business is often really busy from late March and into early May. This time of year, he and his staff are rushing to get ready. 

Vern’s is also ready for the last chance of frost, and Eckstein said he is looking forward to a special annual event he hosts. Brats and Beverages is held at the nursery on Mother’s Day weekend, Friday and Saturday. He said it’s a good time for people to browse and a lot will be out on display because it is usually a safe time, after the last good freeze.

For Eckstein, the nursery is a great retirement project, while he hands off his landscaping business to his son. Eckstein said, “I’ve always been passionate about trees.” So, for him, passing on that legacy to his son is an important thing, and he would love to see more businesses of all kinds do the same.

Vern’s Nursery is located at 649 US-93 North, Hamilton. For more information, interested parties can call the nursery at (406) 360-0170.